Our commitment to the construction sector
Since 2017, we have been building a community of supportive organisations. We have partnered with companies of all sizes across the construction, transport, logistics and related industries, reaching over 700 organisations.
Whilst we are delighted to be supporting organisations across additional sectors, we remain committed to supporting construction and achieving our initial target of reaching 75% of the industry by 2025 and we will continue our mission to transform the construction sector, spreading our message and providing the ongoing support needed for organisations to take action.
We recognise that one of our biggest challenges will be in reaching small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) – but by working collaboratively with supply chains and trade bodies, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our aims and success will be shared by all.
Find out how we can help you.
The challenge
Although mental ill-health is a pervasive challenge across all UK workplaces, its negative impacts within the construction industry have become undeniable.
In 2020, a CIOB report found that 97% of construction workers had felt stressed, 87% had experienced anxiety and 70% had experienced depression over the past year.
In 2021, a report from Randstad found that 42% of construction workers surveyed experienced declining mental health due to Covid-19.
The human cost of mental ill-health could not be ignored with suicide rates amongst construction workers at 3.7 times higher than the national average.
Successes in the industry
During our first six years as a charity, we have enabled hundreds of organisations within construction to transform the mental health culture of their workplaces.
This translates to over 700 Mates in Mind Supporter organisations reached, thousands of days of training delivered and countless industry events attended to open up the conversation about mental health in the construction sector.
Our Establishment
Following a summit hosted by the Health in Construction Leadership Group, attending CEOs and leaders from across construction sector, voted overwhelmingly to improve the mental wellbeing of the industry.
Mates in Mind was the product of this vote and has since been reaching out across the UK construction sector, with our vital message. Since our establishment, Mates in Mind has been focussed on addressing the stark and shocking impact that mental ill-health is having on the sector.
Looking to the future
As our services evolve, our ever-growing suite of tools and materials has developed with them. At the start of the 2023 Autumn Term we have re-launched our apprenticeship training programme after a pause during the pandemic, to support the construction workers, line managers and business owners of the future.
We also continue to develop and share timely resource packs which enable our Supporter organisations to start the conversation and raise awareness about mental health in the workplace.
We will continue to work closely in partnership with our friends at the British Safety Council to continue to develop our programme of support. Together we will work to make the tools, guidance and support we offer around mental health and wellbeing more easily accessible to our Supporters.
Become part of the Community
As a Mates in Mind Supporter, you will have exclusive access to a range of resources, training and support, designed to help you organisation implement their workplace mental health program.
- Access an annual assessment of their programme and a tailored recommendations report to help identify any gaps in their approach
- Free access to our 'Start the Conversation' course, an all-employee general mental health awareness programme
- Access to a dedicated Support Manager to act as a guide through your organisations mental wellbeing journey and offer any new resources as they become available
- Access to a suite of courses to ensure that all levels of management are confident and equipped to fulfil their duties in looking after employee mental health.
- Benefit from counselling through the National Counselling Society at a discounted rate, to help staff members who may need a little extra support
We look forward to welcoming you to our community.
Continue reading - Transport and Logistics
With the high-risk nature of mental ill-health beginning to be widely addressed across transport and logistics, it was a natural move for our organisation to start supporting organisations within this sector to step up and take action.
Learn more about our work in Transport and Logistics